April 17, 2023   3 MIN READ

Haul For Hurts

Birds Extend Hurts Through '28, Make Him Highest Paid QB

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The Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts reached an agreement on a blockbuster contract extension, the team announced Monday.

The team said the extension carries Hurts through to 2028, which means the extension technically begins in 2024.

Multiple outlets are reporting that the deal is worth $255 million, an average annual value of $51 million that ranks as the highest AAV in the NFL.

Per the NFL Network, the guaranteed money in the extension is just under $180 million, which would be the second-most guaranteed money behind DeShaun Watson’s $230 million.

The deal also reportedly comes with a no-trade clause, the first given out in team history.

Hurts, a 2020 second-round pick, led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in his third season and second as the starter.

Putting forth an MVP-caliber season, Hurts passed for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns, completing a career-best 66 percent of his passes. He also ran for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jalen Hurts

ITB PHOTO: QB Jalen Hurts’ New extension makes him the NFL’s highest-paid QB based on average annual value.

Hurts’ 101.5 passer rating in 2022 ranked fourth and his 8 yards per attempt ranked third. In the Super Bowl, Hurts passed for 301 yards and a touchdown while completing 71 percent of his passes to go along with 70 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, overcoming a lost fumble in the first half that was returned for a touchdown in a 38-35 loss to Kansas City.

Hurts became the starter late in his rookie season, after the flailing Eagles benched Carson Wentz with four games to play in 2020. He went 1-3 as a starter but kept the role after the Eagles traded the disgruntled Wentz to the Colts in the offseason.

Hurts led the Eagles to a 9-8 record in 2021, showing improvement under then-first-year head coach Nick Sirianni, who  redesigned the offense after a 2-6 start to focus more on the run game.

Following a blowout loss to Tampa Bay in the postseason, the Eagles traded for wide receiver A.J. Brown in the offseason and watched Hurts emerge in 2023 with an added weapon.

Hurts is one of two NFL quarterbacks averaging more than $50 million per season, along with future Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($50.271).

Hurts’ rookie contract ran through the 2023 season. Although the extension doesn’t begin until 2024, the Eagles can store some of the new guaranteed money in the extension in Hurts’ 2023 cap charge, which is only about $4.8 million, to reduce the guaranteed money spread out from 2024-2028, thus making his cap charges somewhat smaller when the extension begins.

With other Pro Bowl quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert also in line for extensions, along with former league MVP Lamar Jackson, it’s possible that Hurts’ tenure atop the quarterback payroll totem pole won’t last very long.

Still, the 24-year-old Hurts is young enough to cash in big once again in 2028, or even earlier via second extension if he continues to play at Pro Bowl or MVP level.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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